by Linda Straker
- During Tillman Thomas’ administration, only Opposition members served on PAC
- Dr Mitchell recommends only Lower House members comprise Public Accounts Committee
- PAC appointed September 2022 sitting will continue pending Standing Order Committee recommendation
Leo Cato, Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament, said he will advise the Standing Orders Committee to review the current section of the Standing Orders, which outlines the criteria for appointing members of the Public Account Committee (PAC), because of objection from Opposition Leader Dr Keith Mitchell to 2 senators who were appointed to that Committee.
Dr Mitchell recommends that the Public Accounts Committee be comprised only of members in the Lower House, and that option B, which was established when there was no elected Opposition, does not become the norm.
The standing order states in part that “the Public Accounts Committee may comprise of a chairman and other Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate as the House of Representatives may determine.”
“To me, this is the operative part here, as the House may determine, the amendments have given us the flexibility to leave as is or change and go back to what it used to be,” said Speaker Cato after listening to the Opposition Leader explain the genesis for the amendment to that section of the standing order.
“I am only suggesting that we go back and do what is historically done. It is for members of the Lower House…There was no member of the Senate until the period in which we had 15 seats. I want for us to go back to that and if the members do not want it then to leave it like that, but in fact, I certainly believe that this should be the way we should go,” he said.
Phillip Telesford, Leader of Government Business, when called upon to share his views on the matter, said that this particular amendment to the standing orders was made back in 2002. “That is 21 years ago, so they have been government changes over that 21-year period, times at which there was opposition in Government and times when there were just 15 members on the Government side only. So much time has passed on this,” he said before suggesting the matter be discussed by the members of the Standing Orders Committee.
“This particular discussion must be obtained at the level of the standing orders committee and at that committee those recommendations should be tabled, discuss and if members of that committee see it fit, then they may make the relevant recommendations for change,” Telesford said.
The Speaker agreed and announced that the PAC which was appointed at the 29 September 2022 sitting, will continue until there is a recommendation for change from the Standing Order Committee.
Beside Dr Mitchell, the other members of the PAC are Peter David and Kate Lewis from the Lower House, along with Quinc Britton and Salim Rahaman from the Upper House or Senate.
“We will continue with the Public Accounts Committee as is. We will advise the standing orders committee to revisit the Standing Orders, I think one of the issues here is that it does not lay down the conditions for when members of the Senate should be considered to be suitable candidates for members of the PAC,” he said.
The current members of the Standing Orders Committee are Speaker Leo Cato, Dennis Cornwall and Delma Thomas.
It must be noted that during the period of the National Democratic Congress administration of Tillman Thomas, only members of the Opposition were appointed to serve on the PAC.